What is the Grading System for Ethiopian Coffee Beans - Ethiopian Coffee Stories and Flavors

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Complex Genetics and Diverse Processing Methods

The complex genetics of Ethiopian coffee varieties, combined with diverse processing methods such as natural and washed, present complex and varied flavors that have won the affection of many coffee connoisseurs. At FrontStreet Coffee, Ethiopian coffee beans account for 30-40% of our stocked beans, which shows how popular Ethiopian beans truly are. Among them, coffee beans from the Yirgacheffe and Sidamo regions are where many people begin their journey with Ethiopian coffee. When coffee newcomers visit FrontStreet Coffee unsure of what pour-over to try, FrontStreet Coffee's baristas always recommend beans from these regions as an "appetizer" for coffee beginners.

Ethiopian Coffee Culture and Heritage Varieties

When people mention Ethiopian coffee beans, they think of the unique flavors of Ethiopian coffee. In this East African country, approximately 15% of the population depends on the coffee industry for their livelihood. Ethiopians have a very strong coffee culture atmosphere and absolutely love drinking coffee—they consume about half of what their country produces.

According to FrontStreet Coffee's research, Ethiopia has approximately 10,000 to 15,000 heirloom varieties. Due to local technological conditions and economic limitations that don't support corresponding coffee variety identification, combined with the government's protection of wild coffee and unwillingness to disclose information about these varieties, Ethiopian coffee beans are collectively referred to as Ethiopian native varieties. Currently, local native varieties in Ethiopia are typically divided into two categories: JARC varieties and regional local varieties. JARC varieties are those developed and researched by the Jimma Agricultural Research Center. However, regional local varieties are coffee trees that grow completely in the wild.

Unique Characteristics and Flavor Profiles

For example, the coffee varieties grown by cooperatives on one mountain are definitely different from those on another mountain. Even small farmers in the same region grow different coffee varieties. Some estimate that Ethiopian coffee has at least 2,000 varieties, with some even claiming there are more than 4,500 varieties.

Compared to the main SL28 variety of neighboring Kenya to the south, or the robust physique of Typica from Central and South America and Asia, Ethiopian beans appear somewhat malnourished. But you can't judge a bean by its appearance—Ethiopian coffee's citrus aroma is arguably the world's finest. Whether in instant coffee or freshly ground coffee, you can smell the intense orange or lemon fragrance during extraction. Rich floral, fruity, and sweet-tart aromas upon tasting are Ethiopian characteristics.

Cupping Experience: Championship Coffee

FrontStreet Coffee has cupped multiple coffee beans from the Yirgacheffe and Sidamo regions, including one Ethiopian TOH washed group champion from the Guji Zone in Sidamo. First, we ground the beans and smelled the dry fragrance. The Ethiopian TOH washed group champion had very intense floral notes in its dry aroma. Then we added water to fill the cup to confirm the wet aroma, which was fresh citrus fragrance, somewhat similar to the Getenten coffee beans from the Yirgacheffe region.

After 4 minutes, we broke the crust and removed the grounds for flavor evaluation. FrontStreet Coffee's cupping results showed that this Ethiopian TOH washed group champion's overall flavor profile included: jasmine, lemon, berries, pomelo, honey, and green tea notes. The overall flavor brewed by FrontStreet Coffee was: citrus acidity and jasmine aroma in the front, pomelo tea and honey aftertaste in the middle. This bean's washed processing method highlights the bright acidity of Uraga region coffee beans, with an overall feel leaning toward the floral characteristics and citrus acidity of the Yirgacheffe region.

Processing Challenges and Quality Considerations

However, the uneven size of Ethiopian native varieties presents a major disadvantage: they are prone to uneven roasting, especially natural processed beans. Even the best Grade 3 Harar natural processed beans often show uneven bean color—this is Ethiopian coffee's biggest flaw, but fortunately, it doesn't affect their excellent flavor.

For coffee enthusiasts, bean appearance doesn't matter as much as taste. Ethiopian washed beans are much more stable than natural processed beans; the latter's flavor varies greatly year to year. Generally, FrontStreet Coffee conducts extensive cupping before stocking to ensure the quality of stocked Ethiopian coffee beans reaches its best. Good natural processed beans have much deeper and richer flavors than washed beans; but if you buy improperly processed natural beans, it will surely be disappointing—this is the voice of many coffee enthusiasts.

Red Cherry Project: Quality Enhancement Initiative

Therefore, Ethiopian coffee beans present a quality issue—some beans are of higher quality while others are of lower quality, and mixing them together leads to a decrease in coffee bean prices. Dutch green coffee merchants also discovered this problem with local native varieties and collaborated with local Ethiopian cooperatives to launch a campaign to improve coffee quality and prices, called the Red Cherry Project.

The Red Cherry Project is actually a business plan that promotes coffee quality, solving problems at the source by encouraging coffee farmers to be more attentive in every process of coffee bean picking and processing by increasing the purchase price of high-quality green coffee beans. During the picking stage, fully manual picking is used, selecting coffee fruits with high ripeness. Coffee beans selected through the Red Cherry Project are of higher quality, and FrontStreet Coffee's natural processed Red Cherry is part of this program, so the brewed coffee flavor is also somewhat better than the original flavor base.

Ethiopian Coffee Grading System

Ethiopian coffee bean grading is also quite different from other countries. In Ethiopia's grading process, there is almost no strict classification based on coffee size, but rather requirements for coffee bean moisture content. First, coffee bean moisture content must not exceed 11.5% and at least 85% must not be smaller than 14 mesh. The second requirement is that washed coffee beans have a 10% appearance size score when measuring physical characteristics, while there is no size requirement for non-washed groups. Ethiopia's green coffee bean grading process is as follows:

1. First, classify coffee beans according to processing method: washed and non-washed processing.
2. Classify washed and non-washed processed coffee beans into 9 grades from G1 to G9 based on physical characteristics and cupping characteristics and basic cupping quality. As follows: Physical characteristic score accounts for 40% (washed group: defect count 20% + appearance size 10% + color 5% + odor 5%; non-washed group: defect count 30% + odor 10%), cupping quality score accounts for 60% (cleanliness 15% + acidity 15% + body 15% + flavor 15%).

Among these, G1 has the highest comprehensive score for green coffee beans, with G1's comprehensive score ranging from 91 to 100 points, G2's comprehensive score from 81 to 90 points, and G3's comprehensive score from 71 to 80 points. This explains why Yirgacheffe G1, compared to Yirgacheffe G2, has better green coffee bean quality and flavor. Coffee classification doesn't stop here—G1 to G3 grade coffee beans must be cupped again according to SCAA standards for more detailed evaluation of flavor attributes. G1 and G2 with scores not lower than 85 are rated as Q1 grade; G1, G2, and G3 between 80 and 85 are rated as Q2 grade; those below 80 points are downgraded to G3 grade. This is Ethiopia's classification of coffee beans.

Washed vs Natural Processing: Flavor Comparison

Many customers who come to FrontStreet Coffee to buy beans are unclear about the flavor differences between washed and natural processed coffee. In reality, washed processing better reflects a coffee bean's regional flavor characteristics, while natural processing adds more aroma and sweetness based on washed processing. FrontStreet Coffee has cupped and brewed both the washed Getenten from Yirgacheffe region and the natural processed Red Cherry.

Brewing Parameters and Techniques

FrontStreet Coffee cupped this washed bean from Yirgacheffe region. After grinding 11.3 grams of coffee beans, the dry fragrance revealed fresh passion fruit acidity, citrus, and berry tart aromas. The wet aroma was citrus and berries, with citrus acidity and berry sweetness upon tasting, along with almond, tea-like sensations, and a honey-sweet aftertaste. The body was light with bright acidity, clean and refreshing. The brewing parameters used were:

• Dripper: V60 #01
• Water temperature: 90-91°C
• Dose: 15g
• Ratio: 1:15
• Grind size: EK43s-10/fine sugar size (sieved through #20 sieve to 80%)

FrontStreet Coffee typically starts the first brewing stage by pouring 30 grams of water for a 30-second bloom, then pours an additional 95 grams (scale shows around 125 grams), completing the pour in about 1 minute. When the water level drops to 2/3 of the coffee bed, pour the remaining 100 grams (scale shows around 225 grams), completing the pour in about 1 minute and 35 seconds. The drip finishes at 2 minutes and 10 seconds, remove the dripper, and complete the extraction.

Flavor Comparison: Getenten vs Red Cherry

The brewed Getenten coffee shows citrus and black tea notes upon entry, with cream, caramel, and almond aftertaste becoming apparent as temperature changes, with a clean, sweet finish and obvious aftertaste. Following the same process, the Red Cherry shows more prominent berry flavors, with some oolong tea aftertaste.

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